Un-Wanted Fish....Great Idea!

[M.T. Livewell]

My Brenda loves salmon soooo much she'd probably gobble up those fish and that truck in about a week.

Did you just call the wife a BEAR?!



MT

[GreenBastard]

all the people who think its a waste should go and straighten out the bears, they need someone to givem an attitude adjustment!

[Markus]

Guys, there's nothing wrong with this. It's a great idea.

No, you can't run a salmon tournament without killing them. Lets not forget, the reason these fish are in the lake are for the fisherman. It's part of our economy, the fish are put and take.

These fish aren't being wasted. A zoo donation is an excellent use of these fish.

The gentleman is only transporting other peoples fish to go to the bears. I have very very low doubts any mnr officer would give him a hard time.

I think the Scotty is an excellent run tourny, there's no illegal culling like in bass tournaments, it's on a water system that can support the pressure, no fish are wasted and its a great economical boost into the surrounding communities.

[RJ]

I think folks are just shocked to see a pic like that....

I know I was.....

Yes it is a way to get rid of the fish....and a good one at that....

BUT.....the real question is....do tournaments like that really need to go on?.....How do they help out local communities?....I've heard that time and time again about bass tournaments in this area...it's a pile of BS....

Again as in all cases...it's all about the checks... and because of it there has to be 30 or 40 less salmon I get a crack at....


RJ

[Moosebunk]

My Brenda loves salmon soooo much she'd probably gobble up those fish and that truck in about a week.

Did you just call the wife a BEAR?!



MT

Some days MT she could definetely be.


Two good points Capn's RJ and Markus. I think Markus you're right that the tourneys do give the local economies a boost, really, these big boats come rolling into town with big trucks towing them and a couple people to prefish the tourney and then fish the tourney, gas stations, local parks or areas with ramps, restaurants, motels, hotels, Tim Hortons, tackle shops and so on must all make a little extra dough. And, if there's no other way to have these tourneys without fish being killed then giving them to a local zoo is certainly a brilliant idea. The pic hurts the eyes, but your explanantion soothes the reality.

But,

I do side with RJ a little on this one too though. Fishing is getting bigger and bigger it seems at the competetive levels. Yes salmon are put and take but I like to believe a guy like me could come down for a fish on some great lake and actually catch fish if that's the case. They are big lakes but so is a lake like Muskrat and the Rideau for bass, and I've fished those lakes post tourneys and felt like it was a real waste of time. If I was a recreational angler going out to catch salmon after a tournament, maybe spending good money on everything from travel, accommodations and all things fishing related, I'd be pee pee if I didn't catch a thing only to find out that 50 boats cleaned out the area a day or two before. Is that fair??? Do my license dollars not go towards stocking in Ontario and increasing my opportunities??? And am I not a recreational fisherman? The tournaments should maybe give me some money back and therefor a little less to the guy who killed the biggest 2, 3 or 5 fish. If tourneys are to go on and more and more of them pop up on this lake and that, and including local derbies, maybe these groups should be forced to put certain percentages of dollars earned straight back into the fishery itself, ie; the fish hatcheries responsible for stocking the fish in which they just reaped in one weekends quest for a winner. It'd maybe work, but I'd fear that more fish would just make more fisherman, making more tournaments. Yeah, they look like fun if you're in them, but they sure do take away from alot of other fisherpeople.

[LowKey]

God I love it when people run there mouths although they have no idea what they are talking about.

Why would you even bother Markus? It's nice to see for those who have half a brain, but you just cant go showing stupid people this stuff and expect them to understand.

Charge the guy in the truck? Pffft, get a life there turbo!

You know what? Sometimes I visit Fish-Hawk just for the idiocy. I never have to look to far. Some people should really think before comment on someone else’s perfectly acceptable practice.

Thanks for the entertainment lads.

[Paya]

I saw this pic on the NFN site and thought it was a great idea. This is a shot from the Scotty Tournament held last weekend on Lake Ontario. THis gentlemen was collecting all the unwanted tournament fish for the bears at the zoo.



Might be an option some of the many bass tournamet organizers should consider too.

Marcus,

you scare me for a moment ...I tought you where reporting points for husky jerks !!!

[Moosebunk]

God I love it when people run there mouths although they have no idea what they are talking about.

Why would you even bother Markus? It's nice to see for those who have half a brain, but you just cant go showing stupid people this stuff and expect them to understand.

Charge the guy in the truck? Pffft, get a life there turbo!

You know what? Sometimes I visit Fish-Hawk just for the idiocy. I never have to look to far. Some people should really think before comment on someone else’s perfectly acceptable practice.

Thanks for the entertainment lads.

There are some grammatical and spelling errors you might want to edit in your post Guy. If you revisit your grade 3 teacher she might be able to help you obtain some of that infinite wisdom you claim to possess over the rest of us.

[MichaelVandenberg]

So what about supporting group outings? Sure tournaments will have more boats but if you have a group outing with 20-30 boats how is that any different. You still have a high concentration of people fishing. Sure they are unlikely to have the fish in the livewell all day and than release them later but the point is it still is added fishing pressure to the fishery.

The same goes in terms of fishing pressure to the fishery for people that love to eat fish. If you keep your limit most times you got out for the table (which is fine) and you fish a lot how is that not hurting the fish population. Sure you are within your legal right but what you are doing yourself still has some impact to the fish population as well.

The fact remains, well run tournaments have a low mortality rate.

Lastly, my point is we (as in anglers) add fishing pressure to the fishery each and everytime we are out on the water. The key to maintain a healthy fishery is for ALL anglers to practise conservation and proper live release and fish handling methods (this includes fish riding in the livewell for an extended period of time).

Cheers,

Mike a tournament angler (and not just bass, walleye and pike too!)

BTW,

The Pacific Salmon do spawn and reproduce in Lake Ontario. Just check out the streams in the fall.

Also, the fish in the back of the pickup have not spawned yet. Pacific Salmon only die after they spawn.

[ganman]

Wow this thread gets more and more interesting.

PB, the fish run the streams and go through the motions of spawning but unfortuneately they are not successful. Do the males and females not get together or the water chemistry/temps not right I do not know. I only know that they are a put and take fishery. Rainbows and browns on the other hand are a different story.

Salmon on the west coast and east for that matter have evolved over countless generations to be very specific to a certain watershed. I am not going to say it dosen't happen because it is possible but not on a mass scale. Even if it were possible I don't think fishery managers want this to happen. This way they can monitor numbers and keep close tabs on a non native species.

Having spent millions they are having a tough enough time getting a few Atlantic's (a species once native to L. Ont.) to spawn.

I agree with RJ. Unless it's something like a Bassmasters event where large numbers of anglers, press and fans come from outside the immediate area the impact of tournaments is way overstated.

Like someone else stated I have found myself on a lake after a tourney took place and thought I might as well have stayed home. Even on a lake the size of the Mississippi 80+ boats has a huge impact.

[Jenna Bass]

here we go again! the baboons are out of their cages!

the solution is simple, you can't be a conservationalist and a fisherman at the same time. pick one side, plain and simple. you don't like seeing fish die, don't fish! because if you put a line in the water, there is a chance a fish will die. it's that simple. catch and release or not, everytime you put a hook in a fishes mouth there is a chance it will die. sometimes you can't help it, no matter how precautious you are.

so if you fish (which everyone on this site does), stop chastizing others for their practices (catch and release, tournaments, eating fish, whatever) because in reality you are no different. get a grip, you guys sound like idiots!

thanks for posting the pic markus, i think it's a great idea.

get back to fishing!

Jenna

[Legend]

I guess the reality is straight-forward enough. The fish are dead, now what?

It can be pretty hard to fish for Salmon without blowing their air sacks, damaging their gills, ect. The tourney's happen because they can. They are a perfectly legal and legitimate past-time and until that changes I guess that's just the way it is.

Of course the other solution is to release the bears and let them eat what they like... humans.

Legend

[Steve G]

Besides the shock factor of the piture the only issue I have is the Possession limit of the gentleman's truck and definition of suitable for food.

Please see below quotes fro Ontario Regs:

The possession limit is the number you are allowed to have in your possession on hand, in cold storage, in transit, etc. Possession limits are the same as one day's catch limit except where otherwise specified.

It is illegal to destroy, or to allow to spoil, fish which have been caught and which are suitable for food.

I believe this practice is illegal for possession only, as the Regs do not specify suitable for human food...

I like the intent, and hope that he has a waiver for the possession.

[steve-hamilton]

with salmon, the regs are often hazy.

example, i once took enough salmon to where i drop them off, that if caught, i'd be over my 'limit'...

but i wasn't really worried...i figure the fact that i'm not glowing tells the CO i'm not eating all those fish.

[Big EZ]

I'm just curious what the requirement is to legally transport x number of fish over the limit? For example, many sports fish (e.g. walleye) are commonly available at many fish markets. They are obviously transported there and around town in numbers well over the legal possession limit for an angler. I haven't heard of any delivery truck drivers being charged. How is this any different? Is a commercial permit required? I don't know...just seeing if anyone knows.